Hi Margaret,
Well, Christmas time at Walt Disney World Resort is unbelievable. It is like no other time of year at the parks, in my opinion. I would highly recommend going during the holiday season at least once. Good news is that you can still experience the magic of the season without going during the very, very busy and crowded week between Christmas and New Years. I suggest going anytime between the week after Thanksgiving (another popular week) up until the week before Christmas.
The great news is that decorations have historically gone up the first week in November in most of the parks and resorts. However, some of the events for Christmas do not begin until after Thanksgiving. For example, the
Holidays around the World at Epcot don't typically begin until the last week of November. On the other hand,
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which I highly recommend, usually begins on select nights the first week of November. Keep in mind that the dates have not been announced for 2014 yet, so this could obviously change, but that is when it has begun in the past.
Be sure to check out many of the resorts during this time of year. The gingerbread houses and fabulous Christmas trees are usually decorated to match the theme of the resort and are absolutely breathtaking.
Happy Planning!
~Allison L